Put humans first

This is the story of three bears and the grizzly bear.

There was Yogi bear, Teddy bear and Smokey bear (all distant cousins of the Hamm's beer bears). They have taken on most human traits as conjured up by their artistic creators. They are able to speak English, cry, laugh and rationalize just like most non-extreme environmentalist human beings or non-members of Peta.

Enter the grizzly bear. It does not speak English, cry, laugh or rationalize like most non-extreme environmentalist human beings or non-members of Peta. It goes mostly by instinct; what it observed the sow, which birthed it do and trial and error. It also goes just about anywhere and does just about anything it wishes. It doesn't have a speck of human DNA

One of its most common travel methods is using logging roads and hiking trails. If you don't believe me ask a logger or a hiker (if you can locate a hiker who has survived the encounter). It uses logging roads probably because getting poked in the eye with sharp branches or falling over cliffs and other such impediments bothers it. Also it could get lucky and find a stray judge or lost extreme environmentalist who are also using the logging roads to walk on because they don't want to poke out their eye, et cetera, et cetera. Oh, excuse me! I forgot. Extreme environmentalists and some judges don't want any logging or logging roads because the bears don't like them, fear them, detest them, develop rashes from them, fall over dead at the sight of them. Did you ever hear the one about the three bears?

Isn't it time to put human beings first? Harvest the trees before they aren't worth harvesting. Put people to work. Collect profits and those dreaded taxes. Get real!

Dan Griffin

Ferndale, Mont.